Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Lack Of Transparency From Secretary Hegseth On The Recent Military Action In The Caribbean
Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor, following yesterday’s Gang of Eight briefing, urging Secretary Hegseth to release the tapes of the September 2nd boat strike and give the American people the transparency they deserve. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
During yesterday’s Gang of Eight briefing, I asked Secretary Hegseth directly: will he let every member of Congress see the full, unedited tapes of the September 2nd boat strike?
Secretary Hegseth’s answer? “We have to study it.” Well, what the hell have they been doing for the last three months? Secretary Hegseth and the DOD have had more than enough time to study this. It’s time for all members of Congress to see the tapes for themselves. I told Secretary Hegseth that every Member of Congress—Democratic and Republican, House and Senate—wants to see the tapes. Our Republican Chairman of Armed Services and our Democratic Ranking Member of Armed Services made a request together. This is not a partisan issue. Both parties are united in demanding that the tapes be released. Not only to Congress—but to the American people as well, so the American people can have the transparency they deserve.
Secretary Hegseth is resisting that transparency. What is he hiding? What is the DOD hiding? And what is President Trump hiding? That's the question the American people are asking, when it comes to Hegseth’s cover-up of these tapes.
At the meeting, I also pressed Secretaries Rubio and Pete Hegseth on the administration’s recent military action in the Caribbean. I wanted to know: What are their plans? How far are they going to go? Is Donald Trump about to drag America into another endless war? And again, I didn’t get any satisfying answers.
When it comes to matters as important as war and peace Congress needs the truth, the American people need transparency. Anything less is a total disservice to our men and women in uniform and to every citizen in this country.
###